Apertures – Responsive Architectural Environments

Herwig Baumgartner, AIA Professor, Southern California Institute of Architecture Principal and Partner, Baumgartner+Uriu Scott Uriu, AIA Professor, University of Southern California Principal and Partner, Baumgartner+Uriu

INTRODUCTION Within the discipline of architecture, the discussion of fields, networks, and smooth transitions has dominated the discourse over the past 15 years. Rooted in the phil- osophical models of Gilles Deleuze,1 systems theory, and parametricism,2 this discussion has influenced many generations of architects. Parametricism promotes a relational ontology in which entities have no autonomous reality and are based on “continuous differentiation”; thus, everything is connected, and everything flows. This position of an architecture rooted in dynamism and deterritorialization is currently being challenged by a radically different approach, giving way to a contemporary design practice working with discrete figures that cannot be entirely understood through their pristine digital relations. This position is one that is obsessed with capturing qualities that would appear to be incongruous by incorporating analog features into a digital design pro- terms of their morphology and performance. They cess. The installation Apertures, designed for the SCI Arc are disruptive features to the overall building mass, Le Corbusier’s Villa Gallery, is firmly positioned within this approach. but they are able to interact with their environment, Savoye in, France Apertures are the architectural catalysts for the producing a symbiotic relationship between nature, installation design, being defined as objects within building morphologies, and material expression. Aper- a larger building object that differ from their host in tures have been an ongoing topic in our work. We are

112 2014 TxA EMERGING DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY 113 interested in challenging the notion of an architectural order to do housing, you must formulate a new approach opening as a static object by redefining the DNA of a on how to do windows. window, both in terms of its appearance and material- Daniel Libeskind’s ity, as well as its nature as an object in continuous flux, WHAT IS THE DNA OF AN APERTURE? Jewish Museum in responding to its environment through movement or Apertures – view of Berlin, Germany sound. Unique to this project is the proposal of the 1. The aperture frame smaller apertures building as an organism, challenging how architecture • A window frame that is constantly in flux can interface with its users and its environment. The boundary between the human body and architectural 2. Apertures as autonomous objects object dissolves into an immersive, interactive envi- • They are designed independently from the ronment. The project utilizes digital design and fabri- building massing and exterior surface. cation techniques together with synthetic materials • They are three-dimensional objects that are and composite construction. The final architectural inserted into the building mass and can be or- object is augmented through the integration of sen- ganized freely and independently of floor slabs. sors and a responsive algorithm to produce a sym- • They are transitional objects between inside biotic relationship between the user and the object, and outside that can be occupiable. mediated through sound. • They are directional and focused on surround- Aperture design for a ing features or follow an external logic. housing tower in Lima, HISTORY Peru On a very basic level, windows make the facade. They 3. Mega-apertures: Multidirectional aggregates determine what the house looks and feels like, while from • Mega apertures form the building mass the inside, they frame the view and bring air and light into by aggregating a family of self-similar ob- the building. Based on their exterior appearance, we can jects—“flutes”—into a larger whole. differentiate them into the categories of punched hole 4. Responsive environments windows, glass curtain walls and apertures that are ob- • Apertures are responsive to the environment jects protruding from the facade, etc. However, beyond through either motion or sound. that, windows can also elucidate an architectural idea. They can have a symbolic meaning that has nothing to 1. The aperture frame do with their performance as windows. For example, Jeff Apertures are features of the facade, just as the eyes, Kipnis3 speaks about the windows of the Jewish muse- mouth, and nose are features of the face. We are accus- um by Daniel Libeskind as being about a tragedy that tomed to seeing certain shapes and forms of window occurred in human history and how this was translated frames that we are familiar with and which communi- into architectural terms. “These windows are not about cate to us a certain imbedded logic (performative, his- light, are not about air, and they are not about views as toric, symbolic, etc). Changing the shape of the window we would normally associate it. They make the thing look, frame, even if ever so slightly, is easily conceived of as Frank Gehry’s Der let’s say, tortured, fragmented, broken.” In Corbusier’s uncanny or strange. There are two art pieces that have Neue Zollhof in Dues- manifesto “Five Points of Architecture,”4 which were most had great influence on our work on this topic: Bruce seldorf, Germany evident in his Villa Savoye, he claims the ribbon window Nauman’s Making Faces from 1968 and Tim Hawkin- as one of the key features of modern architecture—“the son’s Emoter from 2002. facade can be cut along its entire length to allow all rooms Nauman’s work deals with the deformation of fa- to be lit equally.” The ribbon window also does something cial features, which in themselves can be familiar de- else; it frames the horizon and denies you from seeing pending on the degree of distortion, while Hawkinson the sky and the ground as you otherwise would through deals with the dispositioning of parts of facial features a floor to ceiling window, turning life into a filmstrip. Our through a mechanical apparatus that reconfigures the approach poses a counterpoint to these two. mouth, eyes, and nose. Although the works of Hawkin- We were looking into building upon these two ideas, son and Nauman are related to one another, the results but simultaneously transforming them in a new ap- are dramatically different and show a clear shift from proach that deals with the aperture as a “foreign” object the familiar deforming (Nauman) to the uncanny dis- Enrique Miralles’ inserted into the surface causing the surface to rupture positioning (Hawkinson). Scottish Parliament and deform. Our interest in apertures developed while Based on that logic, we started developing a window in Scotland, United Kingdom working on a housing tower in Lima, Peru. For us the frame that is in flux and can change its shape over time, typology of the housing tower was less defined by the rather than having a static frame with a specific form. To aggregation and organization of units, but actually more be clear, this was not a performance-driven design, like defined by fenestration—the window. As the default the apertures of the Institute Du Monde Arabe in Paris morphology, the windows in housing projects tended to by Jean Nouvel. Instead, we are interested in the thresh- be ubiquitous ribbon windows. We are convinced that in old between the familiar and the uncanny that can be

114 2014 TxA EMERGING DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY 115 produced simply by changing the window frame and skylights and as sculptural objects on the roof; the of- 3. Multidirectional aggregates introducing motion or sound as a responsive system. fice development Der Neue Zollhof by Frank Gehry de- Apertures is designed using a technique of aggregating For the housing tower, the window frame was deploys rectangular window boxes that are inserted into a a family of discrete and self similar objects—“flutes”— Daniel Libeskind’s signed with linear extensions along the window frames curvilinear facade; and the Scottish parliament by En- into a larger whole. Rather than using a Boolean oper- Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany that create a soft, blurred building edge on the exterior rique Miralles, which seems like a thesis on apertures as ation where objects are trimmed against one another that is constantly in flux. As a material for these compo- autonomous objects, playfully deploys apertures with and merge into a single whole, we instead extended nents, we propose using advanced silicon composites different articulation and materiality to give the project objects past one another and then trimmed them us- that combine material properties on a molecular level its unique character. Greg Lynn describes three contem- ing a set of trimming objects that were later removed. and allow for the engineering of each component to porary techniques for placing apertures into complex, This technique allowed each part to maintain its au- achieve varying flexibility without the use of mechan- curved surfaces: “Boolean cuts using multiple figures tonomy rather than merging into a single whole where ical parts. In addition, the new window frames will be or surfaces, spline offsets using the curved isoparms of the parts are no longer readable. On the interior, these coated with thin solar film that will generate electricity curve networks that define the surface for openings, and trimmed surface edges produce an ordering system for the building. facets that fold apertures into surfaces.” 5 of structural ridges that highlights the seams between There is a certain liberty implied by disengaging the objects while simultaneously connecting the different 2. Apertures as autonomous objects aperture from its host, the building. Apertures begin to apertures and converging into a single interior space Traditionally, apertures are framed openings that sit act as a spatial device rather than just a cut in the sur- with multiple vantage points. The outside does the op- Apertures – interior flat within the building enclosure as a punched-hole face or a change of material. Apertures are directional posite; it is an extroverted multidirectional object with view window, or they are defined by the glass curtainwall and can be aimed at certain vantage points. Apertures a strong silhouette that plays off against the flat gallery where the building enclosure acts as the window. More as objects can be designed independently from the logic walls. The two different types of spaces are emphasized recently, parametrically designed windows have been of the surface and then inserted back into the building. through a high-gloss white finish on the outside, and developed that gradually change their shape and size Apertures become a directional and spatial device that flat white paint on the interior. to seamlessly fit within the continuous flow of surfaces can sometimes become occupiable. Apertures can cut and shapes. In contrast to those precedents, we recon- and push into floor slabs; they can be deployed inde- 4. Responsive environments sider apertures as autonomous, three-dimensional ob- pendently of floorplates and across multiple building The openings respond to their environment through jects that are independent from the building enclosure surfaces. This type of aperture produces an architecture heat sensors and sound. Apertures become a vehicle in terms of their morphology and materiality, and that that appears to be incongruous. for interaction, encouraging the observer to physical- can operate as transitional objects between inside and For the installation Apertures in the SCI Arc gallery, ly engage with the work through feedback and adap- outside, adding specific features to the overall massing. we deployed 30+ apertures that are inserted into the tion between biorhythms of the human body and its For example: the roofscape of the Unite D’Habitation by smooth surface of the aggregated mass. The apertures environment. The sound component refers to John Apertures – view Corbusier uses large cone-shaped apertures both as are designed following a different rule set then that of Cage’s observation about the two bodily sounds one through one of the large apertures re- their host. When inserted into the surface, they cause might hear in an anechoic chamber that resulted in his sponding to body heat deformation and disruption within an otherwise coher- famous composition 4’33”.6 The high sound is one’s through heat sensors ent system. Although one would expect that adding nervous system in operation, and the low sound is the and sound feedback these disruptive features would structurally weaken the circulation of one’s blood. When inside the pavilion or overall design, it did exactly the opposite. The deforma- engaging with its aperture, sensors will pick up the tion and local thickening of material through apertures biorhythms of the visitor, which are then processed became a structural strategy for how to stiffen particu- through an algorithm, creating a live sound feedback. larly weak areas. Color was applied very delicately, and The sound simulation was done in collaboration with the apertures were painted with a lime green color on Vienna Sound Artist Hannes Koecher. the inside, reflecting the color indirectly into the sur- The interactive sound component of the installation rounding space and thus emphasizing the interactive was comprised of four primary components: infrared sound component embedded within each aperture. heat sensors; an Arduino microcontroller; a laptop run- Apertures– respond- Apertures as autonomous objects served not only as ning MaxMSP; and four transducer speakers. Connected ing to body heat through sensors and transitions between outside and inside, strong drivers over an I2C bus, the 8 MLX90614 infrared heat sensors sound feedback to the overall aesthetic, but served a structural purpose were embedded into the PETG skin in key locations, without structure being the main purpose. where they sensed the body heat of visitors in the space. Housing Tower in Lima, For the housing tower in Peru, we developed two fam- Using the Arduino microcontroller, this information was Peru–overview ilies of self-similar apertures: an inverted and an extro- collected, numerically remapped, and sent via an RS verted type. The extroverted type is occupiable and pro- 232 serial signal to the MaxMSP patch. The serial data trudes beyond the building envelope, forming balconies was used to drive changes in the sound environment. and semi-outdoor spaces. The inverted type pushes into Four transducer speakers, specifically designed to use the interior and cuts into the floor slab, producing van- the resonant properties of a wood floor, and a subwoofer tage points that are visible from multiple floors. These were installed into the platform of the installation, allowing apertures, as individual autonomous objects, set the the sound to be amplified throughout the space without aesthetic for the project as a whole, as well as its inter- producing the recognizable focal points associated with action with the surrounding neighborhood and context. typical speakers. The effect was an inner body sound ex-

116 2014 TxA EMERGING DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY 117 Images of structural analysis model

perience where one was immersed into a polyphone mix- Today, many industries that deal with composite ture of low and high frequencies, simulating the sounds constructions and hybrids thereof are fabricating face are collapsed into a single component support- produce a stiff and stable shell system. CNC mill file layout per produced by one’s blood stream and nervous system. things in large components or parts that are spe- ed through its shape, creased surfaces, and material The complexity of the interlocking shells proved to component As architects, we have been fascinated in finding ways cifically engineered for their application. There are strength only. The material performance was critical, be a challenge. In collaboration with our structural en- to manifest interaction with a physical object or spatial very little benefits to working with standard sizes or and fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) would have been gineer Matt Melnyk, we used a variety of methods to relationship into a more enveloping experience. parts. Everything is custom, and every part is dif- the ideal material, but it was simply too expensive. understand the system and evaluate how it was work- ferent. In this world, repetition is actually not desir- We started researching a more cost-effective mate- ing, including physical modeling, computer models, DIGITAL FABRICATION: THE FORM IS THE able because repetition has built-in redundancies. rial that can be formed into any type of geometry, and and computer simulation. Finite element analysis was STRUCTURE – COLLAPSING STRUCTURE When we are dealing with complex geometry and that is strong enough to build a 16-foot-tall structure. used to test stability and to verify that the forces in the AND SURFACE INTO ONE compound surfaces in architecture, we traditionally We ended up choosing a material that is widely used shell were within allowable limits. Due to the softness In the typical architectural project, we have adopted con- have gone through a lengthy process of rationalizing to make water bottles, a thermoplastic polymer resin, in the material, even minimal force could cause the struction industry standards of constructing buildings the different layers in order to simplify construction which comes in sheets and is extremely soft as a flat piece to drift latterly, although the interlocking shells in layers where work has been traditionally divided up and to reduce cost. sheet; however, when formed into a compound curved held together very well and remained taut. The result- by trade. Each of these industries is highly specialized, When we started to design the installation Ap- shape, it becomes fairly rigid. In addition to this aggre- ing shell weighs approximately 800 lbs. and appears and coordination between trades has become a highly ertures for the SCI Arc gallery, we initially followed gated mass of double-curved thermoplastic, creasing to stand effortlessly. complex task that results in a high degree of waste in a traditional architectural approach. In collabora- of the surfaces was added for both aesthetic and per- terms of time, resources, and materials. tion with structural engineer Matthew Melnyk, we formative reasons. The creases further defamiliarize MOLD MAKING – CNC MILLING – In contrast, if we look at contemporary industrial designed the finish surface material as a cladding the individual objects by introducing features that were POLYURETHANE FOAM manufacturing processes like the automotive indus- over an egg crate-type of structure. However, it very not part of the initial mass. Unlike a conventional shell The design of Apertures was thoroughly vetted in the try, the approach is a very different one. The goal there quickly became apparent that we would have to triple structure that generally takes the form of a smooth or computer; we looked at each panel joint, each overlap, is to reduce the number of parts and to promote the our resources in terms of cost and labor in order to continuous surface, Apertures is composed of a cluster and a general idea of where each rivet would be placed in idea of “just-in-time production,” originated by Kiichi- essentially produce the entire installation three sepa- of interlocking shell parts. Each shell “part” is further the final design. The installation was then translated and ro Toyota and later perfected by Taiichi Ohno.7 Ohno rate times—once for the structural core, and the sec- broken down into many unique heat-formed panels confirmed with a physical model, and translated again was instrumental in developing the way organizations ond and third times for the interior and exterior clad- made of 1/8” thick PETG plastic that is, by structural and broken into the 233 individual plastic panels, all dif- identify waste, with his “Seven Wastes” model which ding in order to achieve the overall design. Besides engineering standards, a soft or low modulus material ferent from one another and varying in size and shape. In has become core in many academic approaches. that, the interface between the different components when compared to more common wood or fiberglass. order to make each panel, we had to CNC mill 233 molds These wastes are: became extremely complex, and it reached a point Transforming this very thin material into a rigid shell out of polyurethane foam. Polyurethane foam is widely where the design was no longer feasible to construct. was accomplished though a number of ways. The used in the aerospace industry for mold-making and soft 1. Delay, waiting, or time spent in a queue with no Instead, we decided to look at examples from the VacuForm process of fabrication allowed us to produce tooling because of its precision and pressure and heat re- value being added manufacturing industry and eliminate redundancies panels with double curvature, which greatly improves sistance. We also tested other types of foam of lower qual- 2. Producing more than you need by collapsing all these traditional architectural layers stiffness in bending. Additional stiffness was derived by ity and tried to compensate for the lack of heat resistance 3. Over processing or undertaking non-value added into a single layer that can perform multiple tasks, adding folds. The cylindrical shape of the funnels them- with different types of coatings, but ultimately, we could activity incorporating the structure and finished interior selves provided even more stiffening. Still, the individual never get a smooth finish off the plastic surface because 4. Transportation and exterior all into a single entity. The 16-foot-tall, parts were found to be very flexible. Fortunately, it was of the deformation of the foam that occurred through heat 5. Unnecessary movement or motion thin-shell structure was designed to rely solely on its the global geometry that provided a solution. Once the and pressure during the heat forming process. The foam 6. Inventory extremely thin (1/8”) surface as support, requiring individual pieces are assembled together and attached we used was 4 lb. polyurethane foam that is just sufficient- 7. Production of defects no additional structural elements. Structure and sur- to the base platform, they interlock in such a way as to ly dense enough for a one-time heat forming process.

118 2014 TxA EMERGING DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY 119 For the next two and a half months, SCI-Arc students CNC milled the 233 molds out of polyurethane foam on 4’x8’ mill bed. We ended up using an entire CNC milling shipping container full of polyurethane foam to produce all the molds.

HEAT FORMING The heat forming was done on an industrial size 5’x10’ vacuum forming machine. Each mold was first pulled with a thin layer of grey styrene as a protection sheet and to be able to facilitate the separation of the finished material from the mold. The next and final pull was done using 1/8” thick sheets of thermoplastic polymer resin. Each sheet was then cut out, labeled, Polyurethane foam and painted with a flat white color from the back side, mold on the heat which gave the glossy finish to the exterior. The finished forming table panels were then delivered to the gallery.

ASSEMBLY – SCAFFOLDING The 233 panels were assembled into nine large components. Panels were joined with pop rivets. Each component was then assembled and joined with one another to form one large object. In order to keep tolerances very tight, we constructed wood scaffolding out of three horizontal rings that were CNC milled. The scaffolding provided a control mechanism for the tolerances and Heat forming of 1/8” temporary support as the 16’ tall structure was erect- polymer resin over the ed. The individual components were extremely soft by grey protective layer themselves and only achieved their final stiffness after all nine components were joined with one another. In- stallation was completed within one week. In conclusion, the SCI-Arc gallery installation Ap- ertures was a successful proof-of-concept mock-up that investigates apertures as a responsive architectural element and utilizes digital design and fabrication tools to do so.

SCI-Arc student cut- ting the heat formed PETG panels

ENDNOTES 4. Le Corbusier, Towards a New Architecture Apertures – view (Original: Vers une architecture, 1923) (New York: through one of the large apertures re- 1. Gilles Deleuze, Repetition and Difference, trans. Dover, 1985). sponding to body heat Paul Patton (Paris: Presse Universitaires de France, through heat sensors 1994). 5. Greg Lynn, “Apertures,” in Greg Lynn Form (New and sound feedback York: Rizzoli, 2008). Drawing of the nine 2. For more on parametricism, see: Patrik Schum- components that acher’s Adaptive Ecologies: Correlated Systems of Living 6. 4’33” is a composition by American composer make up Apertures (London: Architectural Association Publications, 2013) John Cage in which the performer is not to play their and The Autopoiesis of Architecture: A New Framework instruments for four minutes thirty-three seconds. The for Architecture (London: Wiley, 2011). piece purports to consist of the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed. 3. Jeff Kipnis, “Windows: Outline of Architecture” (lecture at Ohio State University, November 18, 2008).

120 2014 TxA EMERGING DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY 121 Installation at the SCI- Arc gallery

7. Taiichi Ohno, Toyota Production System: Be- Schumacher, Patrik. Adaptive Ecologies: Correlated SCI-Arc students lifting yond Large-Scale Production (London: Productivity Systems of Living. London: Architectural Association one of the nine compo- Press, 1988). Publications, 2013. nents into place

Schumacher, Patrik. The Autopoiesis of Architecture: A REFERENCES New Framework for Architecture. London: Wiley, 2011.

Cage, John. 4’33” is a three movement composition by American experimental composer John Cage (1912– IMAGE CREDITS 1992). It was composed in 1952. La Villa Savoye by m-louis via flickr Deleuze, Gilles. Repetition and Difference. Translated by Paul Patton. Paris: Presse Universitaires de France, The Jewish Museum by b_hurwitz via flickr 1994. Lima housing tower renderings by Baumgartner+Uriu Kipnis, Jeff. “Windows: Outline of Architecture.” Lecture at Ohio State University, November 18, 2008. Gehry’s architecture, Dusseldorf by hatters via flickr

Le Corbusier. Towards a New Architecture (Original: Vers Scotparlmph01 (Scottish Parliament) by Russ McGinn une architecture, 1923). New York: Dover, 1985. via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scotparlmph01.JPG Lynn, Greg. “Apertures.” In Greg Lynn Form. New York: Rizzoli, 2008. Apertures installation photos by Josh White

Ohno, Taiichi. Toyota Production System: Beyond Large- Images of structural analysis model by Matt Melnyk of Scale Production. London: Productivity Press, 1988. Nous Engineering

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